Small World
by n5d25d90
Summary: Cody gets depressed while he's on a class trip. Who can get him out of his funk? It's not who you think; oddly enough, it's her brother.
1. Chapter 1

He was sitting alone, wanting to go home. It was his parents' fault that he was here, anyway. _"Cody, I don't understand why you don't want to go on your school's trip to Niagara Falls." "Oh c'mon. I'm sure you'll be fine." "Your classmates don't say things like that, do they?" "I'm sure you're just exaggerating." _Somehow, they managed to convince him to go. One thing's for sure: he wished he hadn't.

The kids were worse than ever! They taunted him non-stop about being mauled by a bear on that stupid reality show, and made nasty comments about his "obsession" over his fellow goth camper. Cody knew this was going to happen – it happened all the time at school, why wouldn't it happen here?

It didn't help that his school wasn't the only one that had a Niagara Falls trip this weekend (there were at least three others from several different cities from all across Canada). As he expected, many of them knew who he was, and several of them had similar condescending remarks.

So, here he was. Sitting alone. Away from everyone else. Like it's supposed to be.

He heard footsteps, and became aware of a new presence. "Go ahead. Make fun of me."

"Why would I do that?"

Cody looked up to find a teenage boy in a backwards baseball cap. The tech-geek's expression didn't change. "You don't know who I am?"

The boy gave him an awkward look. "…Now that you mention it, you do kinda look familiar…" After a few seconds, he snapped his fingers. "Ah! You were on that one show! Total. Drama. Island!" He shouted, mimicking the evil Total Drama host in a shockingly good impression.

Cody chuckled at the joke, but quickly became depressed again. "Yep. Cody, by the way."

The boy nodded and introduced himself, extending his hand for a handshake. Taken back, Cody reluctantly shook the boy's hand.

"Yeah, I won't make fun of you, man. I could, but I won't."

This was obviously a joke on the stranger's part, but it certainly didn't make Cody feel any better. Still, the tech-geek continued the conversation. "So… do you watch a lot of reality TV?"

The boy rolled his eyes. "Nah. Most of them are pretty lame. In fact…" he rubbed the back of his neck, "…the only reason I watched any of the Total Dramas was because I had someone to cheer for."

Cody's eyebrows rose. "You knew someone on the show?"

"Are you kidding? I had to put up with her for most of my life," the boy laughed. Cody lowered an eyebrow. _'Put up with who now?' _Surprisingly, the boy didn't say who she was, but he seemed to think that this was a great opportunity to talk about his favorite moments from the show, and Cody drowned them out (though he was certain at one point the boy mentioned the "bread-from-your-pants" thing).

As the stranger continued to talk about Total Drama Island, Cody found himself thinking back to those days. Sure, they stunk – in more ways than one – but somehow he still found himself wishing that he were back on the island. Everyone on that island was a stranger to him, and yet most of them were nicer to him than his own classmates, whom he had known for years. He recalled the interesting twists and turns, the thrilling challenges, the big 296-pound sack of joy he spent most of his time hanging out with, and… her…

His thoughts vanished when he heard his new acquaintance clear his throat. "Look, dude, it's cool if you don't want to answer my question, but don't completely blow me off."

Cody looked back up to the boy. "Oh! Sorry. What was the question again?"

"I asked you if you still liked my sister."

_Whoa! What did I miss? _"…I'm sorry, huh?"

Cody watched the teen roll his eyes again, and it suddenly dawned on him. The tech-geek's expression brightened. "…No way…"

"Well, gee, you didn't have to be so blunt about it."

"Wha? No! No, I mean… uh… yeah, I guess I do."

"Well, make up your mind, now."

"Okay, now you're just messing with me."

Cody's companion laughed. "You're too easy. Man, how cool is it that both our schools went to the Falls on the same weekend?"

"Small world, I guess," Cody answered. He thought for a moment. "Hey… is she here?"

The teen shook his head. "Nah. Gwen stayed home to help Mom around the house. Ever since this whole Total Drama thing, Mom doesn't really want Gwen to leave. Heck, she even paid some neighbor girl to pretend to be her when you guys were on Total Drama Island. I'm surprised she even let _me _go on this trip."

"Whoa. That neighbor thing is creepy."

"Oh, don't I know it."

An awkward silence followed, and Cody was practically kicking himself for it. This was his chance to ask… just about anything he wanted to about Gwen! Why wasn't he taking the opportunity?

He wasn't sure why he wasn't taking it, but he didn't want the awkward silence to last, so he simply asked a question. "Does that run in the family?"

"Does what?"

Cody rolled his eyes.

It took a few seconds for Gwen's brother to get it. "Ah! The eye rolling. Probably. I've never seen my mom do it, but it could've skipped a generation."

Cody couldn't help but laugh.

"Well, you're looking better."

The tech-geek nodded, smiling. "Much better. Thanks."

Gwen's brother nodded back, and stood up. "I'm gonna go. I'm here, so I might as well check out the Falls."

Cody shrugged. "Alright. I think I'll stay here for a little bit. I'm in a good mood – I don't want my classmates ruining it."

"I don't blame ya. Oh, and Cody?"

Cody gave him all of his attention.

"…You do realize that you could've pretty much asked me anything you wanted to about Gwen, right?"

The tech-geek's face flushed. "Yeah, I was thinking about that…"

His teenage acquaintance shook his head, keeping his grin. "Maybe next time. Take care. If I don't see ya later, I'll say 'hi' to Gwen for ya, okay?"

"Thanks." As Gwen's brother walked away, Cody found himself staring into space. "That… was pretty cool." No longer depressed, the tech-geek starting to think happy thoughts, most of which were of his new acquaintance's sister.

**~ Total Drama Island © Fresh TV ~**


	2. Chapter 2

**I decided to continue it. Sorry if it's not that good.**

**I also am now telling the fic in Gwen's brother's POV, since it's easier than saying "Gwen's brother", "the boy with the hat", "stranger", "he" (especially at times when you could mistaken "he" for Cody), etc. It sucks not knowing his name!**

**Also, I've never been to Niagara Falls, so I really don't know if there are parks around it or if there are rest areas nearby. This fic just assumes that there are, and if there really aren't, then consider the park fictional.**

**Total Drama Island © Fresh TV**

**-X-**

I washed my face and stared at the mirror, thinking about the conversation I had earlier with that dude that likes my sister… Cody. I had to think for a moment to remember his name – he wasn't on the show very long, so I hadn't paid that much attention, and he had to remind me what his name was during our talk.

He seemed like a nice guy. It's a shame that his classmates don't treat him well. I mean, c'mon: he was on TV.

Well, I hear that after high school popularity doesn't really matter anymore. I hope he gets a break then.

I thought back to how depressed he seemed before I first walked up to him. I didn't even know who he was, or what his problem was, but being a guy who has been depressed before (as well as being a brother to someone who has been depressed before), I felt that I needed to help the guy out.

When I found out who the guy really was, I… well… it felt like some sort of sign, really. I mean, what are the odds that I would meet my sister's… "fanboy" (I found "stalker" to be a tad too much – something you wouldn't call him if you sat down and talked with him like I did) on this trip? I had a feeling that it was all planned out by the Big Man Upstairs.

I was drying my face off with a paper towel when I suddenly heard someone behind me say my name. I turned, expecting to find one of my classmates.

Instead, I found Cody.

"Hey, man. Thanks again for that talk we had earlier."

"Uh, yeah… no problem… Say, you didn't follow me into the restroom just to say thanks again, did you?"

The gap-tooth geek chuckled. "Nah, I just have to pee and you just happen to be in here."

"Ah. Then go pee; what are you waiting for?"

The boy nodded and walked up to one of the urinals. I shook my head and left the restroom. As I felt the cool breeze blowing across my face, I came to the realization that there may be more to this sign than I thought. I just ran into him again – was it just a coincidence, or did I only just scratch the tip of the iceberg with what I was meant to do?

So, to make sure, I decided to stand outside the rest area and wait for Cody to… finish his business. I whistled as I waited, and leaned up against the wall between the two doors marked with the classic male and female stick figures.

When he did leave the "little boy's room", he seemed somewhat surprised to see me waiting for him. "Uh… hey…"

I put my hands in my pockets. "So, was there anything you did want to ask about Gwen?"

He obviously didn't take my suggestion seriously, as he started laughing. When he realized I was serious though, he stopped. "Um… I don't know what to ask."

"Well, anything that won't result in me punching you in the face is a good place to start," I replied with a smirk.

Cody nodded and thought to himself for a moment. "Let's see… How… How is she doing?"

A short pause followed, and I ended it with a "That it?"

"No…"

I chuckled. "She's doing alright, actually."

"Trent treating her well?" he seemed to ask quite quickly. Protective type, huh? I don't blame him. I was quite protective of my sister when she first came home with that guy. After he left her buried alive, I wasn't quite sure what to think about him anymore. No matter how many times he won her back, I couldn't trust someone like that, at least not right away. But after a while, I accepted it – who am I to judge my sister's taste in men?

"Uh… dude?"

That snapped me out of my thoughts. "Uh, yeah, I think so. I haven't been hearing her complain all that much about it." A sly thought found its way into my brain. "Why do you ask?"

His face flushed. "Uh… I just wanted to make sure she's happy."

"So, it has nothing to do with the fact that you still like her?"

He sighed. "Well, I'm not going to try anything, if that's what you're implying. I don't even know where she lives – er, you live."

"Why not?"

He gave me a weird look – one that said "Are you serious?" Silence followed, and Cody decided to explain. "Look, I know this is going to sound weird, but Gwen means a lot to me, and… and I know that she doesn't want to be with me, so I respect her wishes."

I was shocked to hear that. To tell you the truth, during that episode where they showed the voted-off cast members at the Playa des Losers, when I heard the things this guy was saying to the camera, I couldn't help but think that there was some possibility that he was only saying those things because the camera was on him. Of course, I didn't want to think that, but you never know. And now that I knew it was actually true (and I could tell now that I was talking to him face-to-face, unless he was a reeeeeeally good liar), I couldn't help but feel for this poor dude. He really did care about my sister.

I thought about Trent again and how he left Gwen buried alive. Now, like I said before: who am I to judge my sister? But I couldn't help but think of what it would be like if she didn't end up with Trent – if she ended up with Cody instead.

But I shrugged it off. Gwen was happy now anyway (at least according to my knowledge). If anything, her being with Cody would either make her just as happy, or less happy. I wasn't sure which it would be, and I really hated to think about Gwen's love life. I'm her brother – why should I care who she likes?

I knew the answer, though. Just like Cody, I didn't want her to get hurt either.

"That's cool, man," I finally said, realizing the silence was getting a little too long and awkward. Another thought occurred to me. "You know, if she really knew this side of you, maybe she'd see you in a different light."

"She doesn't need to see this side of me, though," he replied. "She has Trent."

"True," I said, somewhat giving in, "but I'm sure she'd like to see it anyway. Who knows? Maybe you'll get to hang out with her and stuff."

His face brightened up. "You think she'd want to hang out with me?"

I was about to shrug, but I thought of a better way to answer his question. I pulled out my cell phone. "Why don't we ask her?"

I watched his eyes widen – I'm not going to lie; it amused me. "Are you serious?"

"What, do I strike you as someone who isn't serious?" I asked.

"…Huh?"

"Well maybe I should just put this away…"

"Wait…"

I grinned. This was too easy.

"…I…I just want to talk to her again…"

I nodded. "Sure, bro." I opened up the cell phone and pushed the speed dial for Gwen's cell phone.


	3. Chapter 3

**Fun Fact: The working title for this story was "Conversation", and for some odd reason I still name the files this… Am I just that lazy, or is it just a form of apathy?**

**Also, I wanted to try switching off POVs in this chapter. Let's see how it works out.**

**Total Drama Island © Fresh TV**

**-X-**

As I held the phone to my ear, I chuckled at Cody's nervous expression. He was twiddling his thumbs and biting his lip. Honestly, it was kinda sad, but at the same time kinda funny.

I heard someone answer the phone. _"Hey."_

Yes! She picked up. "Guess who, Gwen."

"_Ron Perlman? …Seriously, you know these phones have Caller ID, right?"_

I just laughed. I'm sure Cody couldn't hear her talking, but he laughed along with me anyway, assuming she said something funny.

"_So, bro… having fun on your trip?"_

"Yyyyyep."

"_Any specific reason why you're calling?"_

"Yyyyyep."

"…_May I please know the reason why you're calling?"_

"All in due time," I responded jokingly. I heard her groan on the other end, and I laughed again. "Look, I need to talk to you about something…"

"_What?"_

"Y'know waaaaaaaaay back on that first show you were on, TDI?"

"_I'm still repressing memories… Why?"_

"Well… I seem to recall a moment in the… um… first bone island thing…"

"_You mean Boney Island, right?"_

"Yeah…" I cleared my throat before continuing. "And… uh… I seem to recall you saying, in the confessional, something about… oh, I don't know… someone being like an 'annoying little brother'…"

"_Oh, yeah. Cody."_

"Ah, yes. That was his name." I was just toying with her, now. "Now… what was that supposed to mean, exactly, hmmmmmmmm? What's so annoying about little brothers, huuuuuuuuuuh?" I heard Cody chuckle, and I shushed him, just in case she had me on speaker.

"_Hey, I already apologized to you for that, remember? That was the first thing you brought up when I came home."_

I smirked, even though I knew she couldn't see it. "Oh, I know… but as far as I know, I don't think you ever apologized to my friend here." I handed the phone to Cody and gave him a thumbs-up. "I'll leave you two alone for a bit," I whispered before walking off.

As I walked away, I heard Cody's frail greeting. "H-hey Gwen…" I grinned, imagining the shocked look on Gwen's face at this very moment…

-X-

"Oh, I know… but as far as I know, I don't think you ever apologized to my friend here."

Wait… what the heck's he doing?

He handed the phone to me. "I'll leave you two alone for a bit." What… was he serious?

…

Right. I knew better by now not to assume he wasn't.

I put the phone to my ear, and I heard her beautiful voice once again…

"_Hello? You still there?"_

I gulped and took a silent, deep breath. "H-hey Gwen…" I said quietly, my voice slightly distorted from being nervous.

There was a short pause on the other end, followed by, _"…Cody?! Is that you?"_

My eyes widened. For some reason, just knowing that she remembered my name had me suddenly replacing my nervousness with a small wave of confidence. "Yeah! Yeah, it's me."

"…_Where's my brother?"_

"…Um… he left to go someplace for a moment. But we can chat for a little bit… you know… if it's okay with you…" I shut my eyes tight, waiting for possible rejection.

"_Sure."_

Just when you thought my eyes couldn't get any wider… She actually agreed? "Uh… okay… How are things?"

"_Um… not bad, actually. Not great… but not bad."_

I smirked. "Not Total Drama bad, huh?"

"_Oh, don't even joke."_

I laughed. "Hey, I liked Total Drama. Aside from the food, my days on the island weren't really all that bad compared to being at home."

"…_You're joking, right?"_

"Afraid not."

"…_You were mauled by a bear."_

"I know. I was there when it happened."

"_You were in a full body cast."_

"I get injured all the time at home too."

"_You had your h…"_

She stopped. And I had a feeling I knew why. But I questioned her about it anyway. "Something wrong?"

"_Never mind…"_

"C'mon… say it."

"_Say what?"_

"What you were going to say?"

"…_Look, Cody…"_

I sighed. "Gwen… I know what you were going to say. Just say it. It's cool."

I heard a sigh on the other end.

"…_You had your heart broken…"_

"There, was that so bad?" I somewhat joked.

"_Well… you're certainly taking that lightly."_

"Yeah, well… actually, no. No, it's pretty heavy," I admitted, but stopped myself before I went any further. "But that's alright. I just wanna talk to you. It's been a while, y'know?"

"_Yeah, it has, hasn't it?"_

"Heh heh… yeah…. Now if only I knew what to say…"

I heard a small chuckle, and I smiled. I made her laugh!

Things were starting to look up after all…

**-X-**

**Well, there's another installment… or whatever you want to call it. Hopefully it's not too bad… I feel I may have rushed the scene… Oh well, that's for the reader to decide.**


End file.
